Will the Grizzlies go down again?

The season opener couldn’t have gone worse for the Grizzlies Wolfsburg. The supposedly compulsory task against the Frankfurt Lions resulted in a bitter defeat. Despite home advantage, Wolfsburg lost the season opener against the promoted team from Frankfurt with 2:5 and thus squandered the momentum after the promising results in the top flight.

The Grizzlies will now play their second game of the season against the Cologne Sharks this week, with the best bookmakers even classifying Wolfsburg as favourites. The last time the two DEL clubs met, the Grizzlies had a narrow victory in a penalty shootout in the second round of the 2021/22 German Ice Hockey Bundesliga.

In contrast to the guests from Wolfsburg, the Cologne Sharks have already played two games this season. Cologne have already won one of the two matches, but suffered a defeat at the hands of the Augsburg Panthers on the last matchday.

The match against the Grizzlies is nevertheless a big one for the Sharks. Since December 2018, the Cologne Sharks have only lost one of their last six home games against Wolfsburg at the Lanxess Arena.

Cologne Sharks – Statistics & current form

Last season, the Cologne Sharks only punched their ticket for the DEL Playoffs in the final spurt of the season. In the process, coach Uwe Krupp’s team also benefited from some help from the league’s competitors. After ERC Ingolstadt was knocked out of the play-offs in the following round of 16, the Sharks were eliminated by the eventual DEL champions Eisbären Berlin.

Since then, preparations for the new season have been in full swing. Twelve players left the team during the summer break, but the Cologne team also gained nine new players. Among others, Ryan Stanton joined the team from the AHL. The Canadian will strengthen the Sharks’ defence.

The 2022/23 season started for Cologne with a win against RB Munich. Trailing 0:1 in the interim, Krupp’s team fought back with a 6:3 comeback to claim their first points in the German Ice Hockey Bundesliga. “Man of the Match” was undoubtedly Louis-Marc Aubry, who recorded a total of three scoring points against Munich.

Next win in the Lanxess Arena?

Cologne are now aiming for their next win at home and want to compensate for their recent defeat against the Augsburg Panthers. In the away defeat in Augsburg, Cologne’s attacking department in particular left a weak impression. Against the Panthers, the offensive knot only burst in the final phase.

However, goals from Aubry and McIntyre were only cosmetic after the 4-0 deficit. The chance to make amends comes against last year’s semi-finalists from Wolfsburg. The home advantage comes in handy for the Sharks. Cologne has won five of the last six matches against the Grizzlies at home since 2018.

This was also the case last season, when Krupp’s team won both games at home against Wolfsburg. If there is now the next win, odds of 2.90 for tip 1 are paid out on Kölner Haie vs. Grizzlys Wolfsburg.

Grizzlys Wolfsburg – Statistics & current form

In the Champions League, the Grizzlies are on course for the last 16 after four match days and already have seven points to their name. The six-point game against TPS Turku in just under two weeks is of immense importance in order to master the group stage in the top division.

For the time being, however, the focus is on the DEL. Last week, the Grizzlies Wolfsburg got off to a bad start against the Frankfurt Lions and conceded a 2:5 defeat despite home advantage. The Wolfsburg team will now play their second game of the season in Cologne. The match against the Sharks is by no means convenient.

After all, Wolfsburg have only won one of their last 13 Bundesliga games against the Sharks in the regular season since December 2018. In three of the last four Bundesliga encounters, the encounters between the two DEL clubs were only decided in overtime – twice in favour of the Grizzlies, mind you.

Third strongest away team in the 2021/22 DEL season

The Grizzlies have not won any of their last three Bundesliga games away from home. However, the away form should not be overrated. Statistically, the Grizzlies Wolfsburg were the third-best DEL team away from home in the 2021/22 season. In 28 games on foreign soil last season, Wolfsburg had 15 wins and 13 losses.

Only the Munich Bulls and the Eisbären from Berlin scored more points away from home than the Grizzlies. It remains to be seen whether they will be able to build on this success. After all, Wolfsburg had to cope with a number of bitter departures during the summer break.

With Melchiori, Nijenhuis, Gaudet and DeSousa, five key players left at the end of the season. In return, the Grizzlies introduced eight newcomers, including Lucas Dumont from Wednesday’s opponents in Cologne.

Cologne Sharks – Grizzlies Wolfsburg Direct comparison / H2H balance

For the 84th time the two clubs meet. The Cologne Sharks lead the direct comparison with a record of 45-38. Last season, both DEL clubs had two wins each – both in front of a home crowd, mind you. Most recently, Wolfsburg beat the eight-time DEL champions from Cologne twice in a row. However, both encounters were decided in overtime.

Cologne Sharks – Grizzlies Wolfsburg Tip

After the disastrous performance against the Frankfurt Lions, the Grizzlies Wolfsburg are out to make amends. The encounter with the Cologne Sharks is not at all convenient. For the last four years, only one win has been recorded in Cologne. In return, the Grizzlies have already lost five games away from home in this period.

This was also the case last season, when Wolfsburg lost the first and second duels of the season in Cologne. That the Sharks also have the potential to master the home game against the Grizzlies this season was already evident in the season opener of the DEL 2022/23. Cologne, after all, started the new season with a 6:3 win against last year’s runners-up RB Munich.

We therefore don’t think it’s far-fetched to bet on a Cologne win in the upcoming match. Especially since the Grizzlies’ defence was already shown up against the promoted team from Frankfurt. With a stake of five units, our betting odds of 2.90 on a win for the Cologne Sharks vs. the Grizzlies Wolfsburg are aimed at